Zinda 28 May 2005

Freedom and Iraq’s Political Transition:
The Permanent Constitution

From the Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom

May 2005

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
Washington, DC

From the TAL to Elections

Developing a robust understanding of freedom of religion or belief is particularly important in Iraq, a country with diverse and complex religious and ethnic identities. During the months before the adoption of the TAL, the Commission persistently engaged senior Administration officials, Members of Congress, and others on the need for the interim constitution to ensure explicit guarantees of the right to freedom of religion or belief for each individual, fully consistent with international standards. Following weeks of intensive negotiations between the Coalition Provision Authority and the Iraqi Governing Council, the
final TAL as adopted in March 2004 codified these principles, signaling an important step for the Iraqi people, and a clear break away from the egregious violations of religious freedom committed by Saddam Hussein’s regime. While the TAL holds the potential to serve as a model for the human rights provisions in Iraq’s permanent constitution, the commission has expressed concern that language in the TAL requiring that legislation not be contrary to the “universally agreed upon tenets of Islam” may be used by judges to abridge the internationally recognized human rights of political and social reformers, including those voicing criticism of abusive government policies.

Although the TAL enshrines human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief, for every Iraqi, continuing developments on the ground underscore the urgent need to further safeguard these rights in the country’s permanent constitution. Throughout the past year, a number of religiously motivated attacks specifically targeted Iraq’s religious communities:

Insurgents repeatedly bombed Shi’a mosques and targeted Sunni and Shi’a clerics for
assassination. The largest such coordinated attack to date occurred in March 2004, resulting
in the deaths of over 200 Shi’a pilgrims attending religious festivals in Karbala and Baghdad.
Insurgents launched simultaneous bombing campaigns against churches belonging to the
indigenous Christian minority community, and bombed or otherwise closed down Christian-owned
businesses.

The escalation of religious terror has had a particularly devastating effect on Iraq’s non- Muslim minorities, including the ChaldoAssyrians,[1] Mandaeans, and Yezidis. This has caused a push from some leaders of the ChaldoAssyrian community to establish a separate governorate in the Nineveh Province. In addition, the kidnapping epidemic in Iraq has disproportionately targeted Iraqi Christians. According to the Department of State, more than 30,000 Christian
families fled Iraq during the year,[2] raising concern about the very survival of these ancient communities.

In the Commission’s view, this string of violent attacks represents a concerted effort to instigate an inter-religious conflict among Muslims and between the Muslim and Christian communities in Iraq. In an August 2004 letter to U.S. Ambassador to Iraq John D. Negroponte, the Commission—while noting that many leading Muslim clerics and political leaders, including
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, vociferously condemned the attacks against Iraq’s Christian minority—urged the Ambassador to encourage leaders of the Iraqi Interim Government to take a clear and public stand in affirmation of the TAL’s provisions on freedom of religion or belief.

According to the Commission’s letter, “The TAL provides a common touchstone for all Iraqis to uphold religious tolerance and coexistence; its public reaffirmation by the Interim Government would serve a stabilizing function and lend Iraqis committed to building a democratic society the confidence they need to bring this vision closer to reality.”

In addition to the threat posed by the insurgency, Iraqis also are being forced to contend with the unlawful imposition of Islamic laws and principles by grassroots vigilante groups, as well as the operation of extra-judicial Islamic courts that seek to impose an extremist version of Islamic law on all Iraqis, regardless of their beliefs. According to the Department of State 2004 Country Report on Human Rights Practices, “There were numerous incidents of violence against the Christian community…ranging from individual killings to intimidation and assaults on women for not wearing a headscarf (hijab).”[3]

Media sources have further reported several cases where personal choices are being imposed forcibly based on a particular interpretation of Islam.

Some of these cases include university campuses imposing separate entrances, classrooms, and campuses for women; barbershops being forcibly shut down for offering to shave beards or provide modern haircuts; and teachers and schoolchildren being threatened with beheading if they observed the Interim Government’s decision to extend the Friday weekend to include Saturday, a day associated by Islamic militants with the Jewish day of rest.

During this period, the Commission received reports that reconstruction funds from the United States earmarked for the governorate level were not reaching ChaldoAssyrian villages.

Given the lack of input by ChaldoAssyrian civic administrators and other appropriate bodies into the use of reconstruction funds, Christian communities have been uniquely unable to rebuild basic infrastructure in their villages, including water and electrical systems, school facilities, and housing.

In the face of these alarming and unlawful activities, the Commission, in a December 2004 letter to President George W. Bush, pointed to the fact that “Without the right to religious freedom, guaranteed in law and observed in fact, Iraqi non-Muslim minorities will be persecuted and driven out, and Iraqi Muslims, particularly women and dissident reformers, will be stifled
and suppressed.” Additionally, the Commission expressed its concern that the continuing exodus of Iraq’s indigenous Christian minority “would signal the demise of one of the world’s historic religious communities and also would diminish the country’s prospects for political and economic development,” noting that the “ChaldoAssyrians are an educated and skilled
community, who strongly support the formation in Iraq of a liberal democracy that protects the human rights of every individual.” In conclusion, the Commission stated that continuing religiously-motivated assaults on all faiths constituted “an egregious denial of fundamental human rights, and threatened the stability of a unified Iraqi state, as well as the ultimate success of U.S. policy objectives in the region.” In February 2005, the Commission met privately with President Bush to discuss firsthand its concerns and policy recommendations regarding the need to protect freedom of religion or belief for all Iraqis.

Efforts to Promote Freedom of Religion or Belief in Iraq’s Permanent Constitution Developments in Iraq underscore the critical need to ensure that the right of every Iraqi to freedom of religion or belief, regardless of religious affiliation, is guaranteed in the country’s permanent constitution. Throughout the past year, the Commission has continued to engage Administration officials, non-governmental organizations, and legal experts to ensure that this priority is understood and advanced at all levels. It should be noted that this effort does not reflect a desire to impose American values on the Iraqi people, since this right is recognized and entrenched in international law and moreover, is similarly provided for in several other constitutions in the Muslim and Arab world.

Predominantly Muslim countries classified by constitutional role for religion; either declared self as Islamic states, or declared Islam as the state religion, or declared themselves as a secular state, and finally have made no constitutional declaration.

Accordingly, at this critical juncture, the United States should not take a hands-off policy approach to Iraq’s permanent constitution. Rather, universal human rights standards should continually be invoked as a basis for dialogue and engagement with Iraqis, as a fundamental aspect of any constitution-related assistance programs, and finally, as a yardstick for measuring the success of Iraq’s constitutional process. Significantly, this message recently has been reflected in the statements of top U.S. officials. In March 2005, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice publicly affirmed that “In places where religion has been used to separate people—places like Lebanon or places like Iraq—it is especially important that…the constitution recognize that the right to individual conscience is the key to democracy. Because people will never be truly
free if this most personal of decisions is imposed upon them.”[4]

The need for effective guarantees in the permanent constitution of the right of every person to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief is not merely a theoretical concern, but the sine qua non of genuine democracy and peace. These guarantees protect those who question prevailing orthodoxies and seek to debate key issues facing their societies,
especially where law, politics, and religion intersect. These guarantees further protect those working through democratic means to promote respect for the human rights of their fellow citizens, and also help to inhibit those who would use religion as a weapon to obtain and hold power through undemocratic means, such as by stifling debate, impinging the efforts of political moderates and reformers, jailing opponents, and sowing fear.

Undoubtedly, the incorporation of individual human rights guarantees in Iraq’s permanent constitution, and especially the right to freedom of religion or belief, is critical. Such guarantees can serve to:

Protect against the doctrine of intolerance espoused by leaders of the ongoing insurgency and by elements within Iraqi society.
Promote stability among Iraq’s major ethnic and religious communities by ensuring that no single community’s interpretation of religion will be enforced on others, and that interference in religious affairs will not be used as a means of repression, decisively breaking with the past practice of Saddam Hussein’s regime.
Promote stability within Iraq’s internal political and social structures by providing open space for discussion and dissent within and among members of Iraq’s religious communities. Upholding freedom of religion in line with international standards will enable every individual to determine independently his or her relationship with religion, not only concerning worship and practice, but also debate and dissent. This right would extend to members of Iraq’s religious minorities, such as the ChaldoAssyrians, as well as to other Iraqis, including individual Sunni and Shi’a Muslims, who espouse views that may differ from the mainstream.
Promote moderation in Iraq’s legal regime. A constitution that enshrines freedom of religion or belief and associated human rights represents the foundation to a judicial system capable of counterbalancing potentially discriminatory legislation.
Promote stability in the region by reducing tension among the ethnic and religious communities which span Iraq’s borders, and by establishing a model of governance that affirms the ability of various religious and ethnic communities to live side by side peacefully within a democratic framework that respects universal human rights. The success of such a model also represents a stated objective of U.S. foreign policy. As President Bush observed in his 2005 State of the Union address: “victory of freedom in Iraq will…inspire democratic reformers from Damascus to Tehran, [and] bring more hope and progress to a troubled region.[5]

Commission Actions

In addition to meetings with the President and senior U.S. officials, the Commission has worked to develop and publish information useful to policymakers, experts, and others involved in Iraq’s constitutional process. In March 2005, the Commission released a comparative survey of the constitutions of predominantly Muslim countries, examining provisions relating to the role of Islam and guarantees of religious freedom and related human rights. This 100-page document, entitled The Religion-State Relationship and the Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief: A Comparative Textual Analysis of the Constitutions of Predominantly Muslim Countries, sets out the international human rights standards associated with freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief alongside the relevant constitutional provisions of 44 Muslim countries.

The survey found that no single model exists in Muslim countries, which range from declared Islamic states to declared secular states. Moreover, several countries examined, including those where Islam is the declared religion of the state, have constitutional provisions that favorably reflect a state’s international human rights obligations.[6]

To be certain, actual implementation of any constitutional provision is dependent on a number of diverse factors, including level of state control, system of government, independence of the judiciary, individual access to the courts, and enforcement of judicial remedies.

Constitutional text alone may not necessarily reflect what is done in practice, especially with regard to human rights. That said, a constitution remains important as an aspirational document and a statement of national principles. It can also provide the foundation for political, social, and legal reconstruction. Even if not fully implemented, constitutional text remains fixed as
fundamental law, and its guarantees and protections can be invoked by those seeking to protect human rights in the future.
The Commission’s comparative constitution survey serves a dual purpose. In the first instance, it is a valuable tool for policymakers to understand the constitutional landscape of the Muslim world with regard to the role of Islam and guarantees for freedom of religion and belief and other associated rights, by providing models of constitutional text that reflect international standards. The survey also has begun to serve as the basis for dialogue with Iraqis engaged in the unfolding constitutional process. At a March 2005 working session on the constitutional process convened in Jordan under the auspices of the American Bar Association’s Iraq Legal Development Program, Commission Chair Preeta D. Bansal briefed Iraqi civil society leaders on the survey’s findings. The ensuing discussion demonstrated a range of opinions concerning
issues related to freedom of religion, a willingness to explore questions in an open and frank manner, and significantly, a desire for more detailed comparative information. Accordingly, it is expected that the constitutional survey will be translated into Arabic. The Commission is also exploring additional opportunities to engage Iraqis, including members of the expected
constitutional drafting committee, with relevant information on international standards related to freedom of religion or belief and the constitutional experiences of other Muslim countries.

Commission Recommendations

Concerning the Permanent Constitution

In light of the current situation in Iraq, the Commission recommends that the U.S. government:

- direct all U.S. efforts to encourage the inclusion of human rights guarantees in the permanent constitution that are consistent with the obligations set forth in international instruments to which Iraq is a party, including the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR); Iraq’s permanent constitution should include explicit guarantees that:

everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion,” as affirmed in article 18 of the UDHR and specified in article 18 of the ICCPR;
coercion in all matters related to religion shall be prohibited, and no Iraqi shall be detained or arrested because of his or her religious beliefs;
prohibit discrimination and protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of every Iraqi, regardless of religion or belief, without which the human rights of individuals, whether women or disfavored or non-conformist Muslims, will be at risk;
Iraq shall abide by the international human rights treaties, conventions, and instruments to which it is a party, such as the ICCPR and the UDHR;
the principles of democracy, pluralism, social justice, rule of law, and Iraq’s international
obligations are fundamental sources of legislation;
every woman and member of a religious minority shall have equal rights with every Iraqi
citizen, shall have equal protection of the law, and shall be equal before the law; and
no law shall be contrary to the rights expressed in the permanent constitution.

Guarantees of this kind form the basis of minimum human rights protections recognized under international law, and are found in the constitutions of other predominantly Muslim countries, as well as in Iraq’s TAL.

In addition, the Commission recommends that the U.S. government:

- urge Iraq’s transitional government and national assembly to include underrepresented religious minorities, i.e. Christians and Sunnis, in the constitutional drafting body;

- call on the United Nations and other allies to support actively and publicly the incorporation of individual human rights in line with international standards in Iraq’s permanent constitution;

- appoint a high-level U.S. human rights envoy to Iraq, reporting directly to the U.S. ambassador, to encourage the incorporation of human rights principles in Iraq’s permanent constitution, to serve as the point of contact for Iraqi human rights institutions and assist these institutions in consolidating their roles within the emerging political structure, to
facilitate access to American expertise and other assistance supporting Iraq’s effort to confront human rights challenges, and to advance human rights through U.S. reconstruction programs in Iraq; and

- fund workshops and training sessions on religion/state issues for Iraqi officials, policymakers, legal professionals, representatives of non-governmental organizations, religious leaders, and other members of key sectors of society who will have input on the permanent constitution.

Concerning Reconstruction Efforts

With regard to reconstruction efforts in Iraq, the Commission recommends that the U.S. government:

- promote and prioritize, in all reconstruction programs for Iraq and in contacts with Iraqis, coalition partners, and other potential donors including the United Nations, an Iraqi political system that respects freedom of religion and belief, endorses equality for women, and guarantees the universal human rights of all Iraqis, including members of religious minorities
and individual women;

- ensure that U.S. funding and other forms of support are not going to Iraqi political parties
and other organizations that advocate or condone policies at odds with recognized international human rights norms;

- publicly express at the highest level support for political parties and other Iraqi groups that demonstrate a genuine commitment to international human rights, including freedom of religion, and give clear directives to American officials and recipients of U.S. democracy building grants to assign priority to projects that seek to encourage the inclusion of effective
human rights guarantees for every Iraqi in the permanent constitution, in addition to projects that promote multi-religious and multi-ethnic efforts to meet human needs, religious tolerance and understanding, knowledge among Iraqis about international human rights standards, and discussion of values central to good governance and democracy [7]

- declare a proportional allocation of funds for ChaldoAssyrian communities, ensure that the use of these funds are determined by independent ChaldoAssyrian national and town representatives, and establish direct lines of input by such independent ChaldoAssyrian structures into the allocation process of the Iraqi central government in Baghdad, separate from the Kurdish Regional Government;

- support efforts to establish official Iraqi institutions, including the national human rights commission provided for in the TAL, that meet international standards and have the resources and mandates necessary to monitor, investigate, and take action to remedy human rights abuses, and that encourage Iraq’s judicial and human rights institutions to operate in accordance with international standards; and

- establish an Iraqi visitors program through the State Department to focus on exchange and education opportunities in the United States related to freedom of religion and religious tolerance.

Concerning Ongoing Abuses of Freedom of Religion

With regard to ongoing religious freedom abuses, the Commission recommends that the U.S. government:

- publicly condemn attacks having a religious character or motivation and encourage the
transitional government to capture and prosecute responsible parties;

- speak out at the highest level against violence against women and unlawful efforts to impose
extrajudicial religious and/or traditional law in violation of international human rights
standards;

- in cooperation with Iraqi law enforcement, prioritize locating and shutting down extrajudicial
courts unlawfully imposing an extremist version of Islamic law; and

- raise with the regional Kurdish authorities the issue of reports that ChaldoAssyrian property
is being expropriated and seek assurances that there will be no official discrimination
practiced against this or other minority communities.

References

The term “ChaldoAssyrian” is used in the TAL, and refers to the indigenous Assyrian, Chaldean, and Syriac people of Iraq.
U.S. Department of State, 2004 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41722.htm, accessed April 14, 2005).
Ibid.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, “Remarks at Sophia University,” Tokyo, Japan, March 19, 2005.
President George W. Bush, State of the Union, February 2, 2005.
The study, in its entirety, is available on the Commission’s web site.
The State Department’s current “Human Rights and Democratization Initiatives in Iraq” Request for Grant Proposals fails to prioritize proposals that promote the inclusion of international human rights standards or a bill of rights in the permanent constitution, or proposals that promote knowledge among Iraqis about international human rights standards.

Mar Emmanuel Delly in the U.S.

His Beatitude Mar Emmanuel Delly

(ZNDA: Detroit) His Beatitude Mar Emmanuel Delly, Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church is currently traveling Europe and the United States and will be visiting the Chaldean parishes in Detroit and Chicago in the next few weeks. His Beatitude arrived in the U.S. last Tuesday and will be in Michigan and Chicago until 17 June. No travel plans to California were provided to Zinda Magazine at press time.

Last week in Paris the head of Iraq's largest Christian community denounced American evangelical missionaries in his country on Thursday for what he said were attempts to convert poor Muslims by flashing money and smart cars.

The patriarch, who vigorously opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and met French President Jacques Chirac -- who also opposed it -- on Wednesday, declined to comment on Washington's policy there or whether he had contacts with U.S. authorities.

The following is a complete travel itinerary of His Beatitude in the U.S. courtesy of Our Lady of Chaldeans Cathedral in Southfield, Michigan and Father Manuel Boji :

His Beatitude Mar Emmanuel Delly 's Travel Plans in the U.S.
Date	Holy Mass & Gatherings	Time
Tuesday, May 24	Arrival of the His Beatitude to the Church of the Mother of God	06:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 29	Holy Mass at the Church of the Mother of God, Southfield	12:00 p.m.
Friday, June 3	Holy Mass at the Church of the Sacred Heart, Detroit	10:00 a.m.
Saturday, June 4	Holy Mass at the St. Joseph Church, Troy	05:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 5	Holy Mass at the St. Thomas Church, West Bloomfield	12:30 p.m.
Friday, June 10	St. Paul Assyrian Chaldean Church in North Hollywood, California	TBA
Sunday, June 12	Holy Mass at the St. Addai, Oak Park	12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 15	Gathering with the youth at the Church of Mother of God	08:00 p.m.
Friday, June 17	Holy Mass at the Church of St. Mary, Chicago	TBA
After June 17	To New Zealand & Australia	TBA

All dates and events are subject to change. Zinda Magazine will continue to update this itinerary table as more information is received in the near future.

UC Berkeley Students Display Assyrian Pride at Cal Day

[I've reattached the two photos of our display that Mr. Daniels shared with you. I've also attached two pictures of the dancers that performed at the Spring Festival. All of us, with the exception of Sam who just graduated from San Jose State University, are Cal students and alums. The names are (top to bottom, left to right): Ramond Takhsh, Samson Khoubier, Hala Samow, Brateil Badal, Arbella Malik, and Linda Hormozi (picture 1). Here is, as requested, a short report on the event.]

An ASA posterboard presenting the many facets of the Assyrian culture and geography in the Mid-East.

(ZNDA: San Francisco) Every year on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley (a city to the east of San Francisco) on Cal Day, the International House at UC Berkeley celebrates cultures at its Spring Festival. Cultures from around the world come together to display their traditions, foods, and festivities. The Assyrian Student Alliance (ASA), a group of eight current students and about 10 alumni, has been a participant in the festivities in the last four years.

This year, the ASA members home-cooked great-tasting, authentic food, like Dolma‘d Tarpeh (grape leaves), Qatleteh, and Kubeh. For dessert, they served baklavah, which everyone enjoyed tasting.

ASA presented two posterboards that informed the visitors about Assyrian history, demographics, and traditions. On exhibit were two maps of North Iraq and Northwest Iran, showing the detail and location of all the Assyrian villages. The Kha b' Neesan (Assyrian New Year) tradition and the Assyrian alphabet were also portrayed. Art and artifacts, the 'Lamasu' (Assyrian Winged-Bull) and the Assyrian flag were on display at the table.

ASA dance performers at Cal Day (from top to bottom, left to right): Ramond Takhsh, Samson Khoubier, Hala Samow, Brateil Badal, Arbella Malik, and Linda Hormozi.

For the first time this year, ASA also performed Assyrian dances. For weeks, six members had practiced a choreographed dance routine to a melody of four Assyrian dances—chobieh, tolamah, balati, and sheykhani. All dancers were dressed in traditional customs and performed an entertaining and energetic piece.

In the audience were also parents, grandparents, siblings, ASA alumni, and friends who were cheering on the dancers, shouting “Khayeetoon Atoorayeh!”.

The dance performance brought many to the ASA table asking about the Assyrian culture and people. Mr. Ramin Daniels, of the Assyrian Aid Society and Mr. Fred Aprim, author of "Assyrians - the Continuous Saga" were on hand to answer any questions.

UC, Berkeley ranks first nationally in the number of graduate programs in the top 10 in their fields. Last year 97% of Berkeley's programs made the top 10 list. Berkeley ranks first nationally in the number of "distinguished" programs for the scholarship of the faculty [32 programs]. 17 UC-Berkeley's professors and researchers have to date received Nobel Prizes in sciences, economics, and medicine. 7 of them are current instructors.

Among the world's distinguished Assyriologists and Near Eastern scholars currently teaching at UC-Berkeley are the following:

Wolfgang J. Heimpel (Emeritus), Professor of Mesopotamian and Sumerian cultures. Ph.D. University of Heidelberg
Anne D. Kilmer (Emeritus), Professor of Assyriology. Akkadian, Mesopotamian culture, literature and music. Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania
David B. Stronach (Emeritus) , Professor in the Graduate School (Near Eastern Archaeology). Near Eastern art and archaeology. M.A. Cambridge University
Marian Feldman, Assistant Professor in Near Eastern Art. Ancient Near Eastern art; Eastern Mediterranean interconnections; Bronze Age Aegean art and archaeology. Ph.D. Harvard University
Niek Veldhuis, Assistant Professor of Assyriology. Ancient Mesopotamian languages and cultures. Ph.D. University of Groningen, Netherlands
Sanjyot Mehendale, Lecturer in Near Eastern Archaeology. Near Eastern archaeology. Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley
Laurie Pearce, Lecturer in Akkadian. Assyriology, Akkadian, and Cuneiform. Ph.D. Yale University

Zinda: Special thanks to Ms. Brateil Badal, ASA president & Mr. Ramin Daniels, Assyrian Aid Society - Santa Clara chapter Director.

Assyrian Youth Charged with Murder in Australia

Courtesy of the Herald Sun
By Shelley Hodgson
21 May 2005

(ZNDA: Melbourne) Distraught friends of Parvieez Shaik, 24, say he was stabbed when he came to the aid of friends allegedly being attacked by several men.

Police has charged a 16-year-old youth with one count of murder and one of intentionally causing serious injury and assault.

He was expected to appear in a Children's Court last Monday.

The dead man's friend is not expected to regain full feeling in his left hand after he was allegedly stabbed with a 25cm blade.

The Herald Sun has been told the men yelled racial profanities before the attack.

Witnesses claimed that the attackers yelled, "You Aussie wankers", or words to that effect.

Witnesses told police the attack lasted 30 seconds before the attackers fled in several cars outside the fast food store in Somerton Rd, Roxburgh Park, about 10pm last Thursday.

Mr Shaik, an office furniture removalist who lived with his parents in Glenroy, was stabbed in the stomach and leg.

The injured man said Mr Shaik, who was planning his first trip overseas next month, had no enemies.

"He was an all-round nice guy," the man, from Gladstone Park, said from his hospital bed.

"He was everybody's friend, had no enemies."

"He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

A witness said he was walking along Somerton Rd when he saw a car pull into McDonald's.

"Three or four men converged on it and a fight broke out," the witness said.

"It went for about 30 seconds.

"People jumped in their cars and drove away, and then all of a sudden this bloke's just hit the deck."

The witness said a male and female customer from McDonald's performed CPR on Mr Shaik as he lay bleeding and fading in and out of consciousness.

Paramedics resuscitated him twice in their desperate fight to save his life but Mr Shaik died in hospital.

The injured man, soon to become a father, said he did not know the men and denied he and his friends were part of a gang.

"It's got nothing to do with gangs," he said.

Homicide squad detectives are continuing their investigations.

They are keen to speak to the driver of a 1980s model white Holden Commodore station wagon seen in the car park around the time of the incident.

Zinda Magazine has learned that t he 16-year-old charged with the alleged murder is an Assyrian youth from Melbourne, Australia. Zinda is saddened by the news of our youth in Australia involved in gang and criminal activities. We hope that the Assyrian community leaders in Australia and throughout the Western world will promptly address the neglection of our youth and act as worthy role models.

Shroro The Syriac Orthodox Christian Digest May 2005

Shroro
The Syriac Orthodox Christian Digest
May 2005